Do not forget (1) strength and weakness of power (2)
expansion and contraction of the body (3) slowness and speed of techniques..
You must always remember these things not only for karate techniques, but
also for everyday life. Let us look closely at each point.
Strength and weakness of power- Trying to make tension at all times is not
natural. Master Funakoshi is telling us that power takes many forms, not
just muscular tension. Relaxation is very important to conserve energy. In
karate it is impossible to stay tense and perform techniques properly. Life
is the same way, we must learn to understand the natural rhythm and timing
that is in Nature. Then we will see all the different forms power can take.
We must always strive for balance.
Expansion and contraction of the body- The body must breathe, in and out,
and we must realize that expansion and contraction are natural. One is not
"better" than the other. Human beings must be flexible, especially in
relationships. Always thinking "I'm right, you are wrong" does not make for
good communication. We need to be able to admit our faults and realize that
being right or wrong is not nearly important as being a good person.
Slowness and speed of the technique- This means that during training we need
to observe our opponent to make sure we react appropriately. This involves
understanding timing and proper attitude. The same thing applies in life. if
we stop and observe situations carefully before we simply react, then our
resulting action is usually appropriate to that particular situation.
As we can see from the above points, Master Funakoshi was very concerned
with showing us that life must have balance- hard/soft, positive/negative,
fast/slow. It is very important to stop thinking only about the physical
techniques and think about developing your mind at the same time. This is
called shingi-ittai, mind and body together, and is the essence of budo.
Master Funakoshi gave us the Ni-ju Kun to make us better human beings. Only
by applying these principles to daily life can we help to improve society.